Help with 9 day Slovenia itinerary
Jul 29th, 2006, 07:27 AM
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Help with 9 day Slovenia itinerary
My husband and I are planning 9 days in Slovenia at the beginning of October. I've done quite a bit of research online, but could use some assistance, and the Fodorites have always been a big help.
Some background info - We prefer to stay in just a few places and then make day trips from there, leaving our options open depending on what strikes our fancy. (We'll be renting a car). We especially enjoy exploring small towns, local markets, antique stores, and old cities. We enjoy nature, but a knee injury rules out hiking, and we're not really interested in white-water rafting and outdoor sports - we'd prefer to enjoy the beautiful scenery in a more laid-back way. We are not really into wines, but like trying local foods. As far as budget, we're middle of the road - we'd rather spend money on souvenirs than on fancy hotels and restaurants, but the more we travel, the more we're willing to pay for a few extra comforts in our hotel rooms.
So far, our itinerary looks like this:
Fri: Arrive Ljubljana late Fri. night
Sat: Ljubljana
Sun: Ljubljana (antique market) + trip to Skofja Loka
Mon: Leave Ljubljana, Drive to Bled (stop at Radovljica Bee Keeping Museum on the way). Overnight in Bled.
Tues: Spend day around Bled/Bohinj area; spend 2nd night in Bled.
Wed: Leave Bled, drive through Soca River Valley to Nova Gorica area or Karst Area. (I'm not really clear on this part, and on how long a drive this is since it's in the mountains. Might stop at WWI Museum in Kobarid. Would like to spend this day on a leisurely drive to wherever our next hotel is...more questions about this later...)
Thurs: Day trip to Stanjel?
Fri: Day trip to Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle.
Sat: Day trip to Piran (stop at Hrastovlje on the way)
Sun: Drive back to Ljubljana, stopping at the Technical Museum on the way.
First question: Have I packed too much in? We eliminated Skocjan, Lipica, and Portoroz in an effort to simplify. My thought is since we're really only staying in 3 different places, we can play it by ear and decide what we want to do each day once we're there.
Second question: I could really use recommendations re: our third place to stay - I'm thinking somewhere near Nova Gorica or further east, closer to Stanjel. I'd like it to be someplace where we can easily day-trip to Postojna and Piran. Most of the tourist farms I've read about are further north, in the upper Soca River Valley, which I don't think is quite what we want. Would Goriska Brda be a bit too far as well? I'd also like some thoughts from people who've stayed at the tourist farms. We've stayed in apartments and private rooms in Croatia which we loved, and on 2 farms in Italy that we loved, but we've also had some B&B experiences in the U.S. that we didn't care for - we tend to want to do our own thing on our own schedule, not feel like we have to be somewhere at a certain time for meals, or feel too smothered w/ attention (even though oftentimes that's the innkeeper's way of trying to be friendly). So I'm interested to hear other peoples' thoughts. Thanks so much for your help - we are looking forward to our trip!!!
Some background info - We prefer to stay in just a few places and then make day trips from there, leaving our options open depending on what strikes our fancy. (We'll be renting a car). We especially enjoy exploring small towns, local markets, antique stores, and old cities. We enjoy nature, but a knee injury rules out hiking, and we're not really interested in white-water rafting and outdoor sports - we'd prefer to enjoy the beautiful scenery in a more laid-back way. We are not really into wines, but like trying local foods. As far as budget, we're middle of the road - we'd rather spend money on souvenirs than on fancy hotels and restaurants, but the more we travel, the more we're willing to pay for a few extra comforts in our hotel rooms.
So far, our itinerary looks like this:
Fri: Arrive Ljubljana late Fri. night
Sat: Ljubljana
Sun: Ljubljana (antique market) + trip to Skofja Loka
Mon: Leave Ljubljana, Drive to Bled (stop at Radovljica Bee Keeping Museum on the way). Overnight in Bled.
Tues: Spend day around Bled/Bohinj area; spend 2nd night in Bled.
Wed: Leave Bled, drive through Soca River Valley to Nova Gorica area or Karst Area. (I'm not really clear on this part, and on how long a drive this is since it's in the mountains. Might stop at WWI Museum in Kobarid. Would like to spend this day on a leisurely drive to wherever our next hotel is...more questions about this later...)
Thurs: Day trip to Stanjel?
Fri: Day trip to Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle.
Sat: Day trip to Piran (stop at Hrastovlje on the way)
Sun: Drive back to Ljubljana, stopping at the Technical Museum on the way.
First question: Have I packed too much in? We eliminated Skocjan, Lipica, and Portoroz in an effort to simplify. My thought is since we're really only staying in 3 different places, we can play it by ear and decide what we want to do each day once we're there.
Second question: I could really use recommendations re: our third place to stay - I'm thinking somewhere near Nova Gorica or further east, closer to Stanjel. I'd like it to be someplace where we can easily day-trip to Postojna and Piran. Most of the tourist farms I've read about are further north, in the upper Soca River Valley, which I don't think is quite what we want. Would Goriska Brda be a bit too far as well? I'd also like some thoughts from people who've stayed at the tourist farms. We've stayed in apartments and private rooms in Croatia which we loved, and on 2 farms in Italy that we loved, but we've also had some B&B experiences in the U.S. that we didn't care for - we tend to want to do our own thing on our own schedule, not feel like we have to be somewhere at a certain time for meals, or feel too smothered w/ attention (even though oftentimes that's the innkeeper's way of trying to be friendly). So I'm interested to hear other peoples' thoughts. Thanks so much for your help - we are looking forward to our trip!!!
Jul 29th, 2006, 08:15 PM
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Hi
When we were in Slovenia, we stayed in Piran. Had a great room with a balcony overlooking the Adriatic. Great seafood. Piran is very Italian. We drove through Pororoz and found it very touristy. Piran in Oct. should be nice, we were there in late Sept. Many of the tourists especially English were leaving. I don't know if Piran is the type of place to stay that you're looking for but it is smaller than Portoroz.
When we were in Slovenia, we stayed in Piran. Had a great room with a balcony overlooking the Adriatic. Great seafood. Piran is very Italian. We drove through Pororoz and found it very touristy. Piran in Oct. should be nice, we were there in late Sept. Many of the tourists especially English were leaving. I don't know if Piran is the type of place to stay that you're looking for but it is smaller than Portoroz.
Aug 14th, 2006, 07:53 AM
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We traveled to Croatia and Slovenia in Sept 2002 and spent 14 days in Slovenia. We did not make any reservations in advanced and had no problems finding a room on the fly. Our accommodations varied depending on the area but most consisted of apartments (Bled, Bovec), small hotels (Piran) larger hotels (Bohinj, Lipica,) and pensions (Ljubljana). We did not stay in any tourist farms. Some comments:
Soca Valley: WWI Museum in Kobarid is excellent and worth the stop. It should take you about 2 hours to go through. Even though you don’t hike, you might also look into walking part of the Kobarid Historical Walk which takes you through the former front line. Pick up a pamphlet at the museum. We stayed 15 miles away in Bovec since, at the time, it had more apartments to choose from than Kobarid. The tourist bureau is very helpful but you could basically drive into the residential neighborhoods and there are many apartments there to rent (vacancy signs hang in front yards). The driving in this area is slow because most of it is single lane each direction. To get to the area from Bohinj/Bled, you can take the tunnel from Bohinj Bohinski south but you will bypass the Vrsic Pass with its 50 hairpin turns. That route over the pass takes about 3 hours to drive.
Piran: If I were to do it again, I would skip this city. Others might disagree, but while nice, I believe it is over-rated and a bit out of the way for what it offers. Parking can be difficult. It feels like other Mediterrean cities.
Bled: The Beekeeping Museum is excellent. Also consider a side trip to Kropa which contains a very informative Blacksmithing Museum. The town and its houses have lots of examples of ironworks in the form of balconies, etc. A lovely, winding drive through the countryside. I preferred Bohinj over Bled. If you stay at one of the larger hotels in Bohinj, you can get a rate that includes dinner.
Soca Valley: WWI Museum in Kobarid is excellent and worth the stop. It should take you about 2 hours to go through. Even though you don’t hike, you might also look into walking part of the Kobarid Historical Walk which takes you through the former front line. Pick up a pamphlet at the museum. We stayed 15 miles away in Bovec since, at the time, it had more apartments to choose from than Kobarid. The tourist bureau is very helpful but you could basically drive into the residential neighborhoods and there are many apartments there to rent (vacancy signs hang in front yards). The driving in this area is slow because most of it is single lane each direction. To get to the area from Bohinj/Bled, you can take the tunnel from Bohinj Bohinski south but you will bypass the Vrsic Pass with its 50 hairpin turns. That route over the pass takes about 3 hours to drive.
Piran: If I were to do it again, I would skip this city. Others might disagree, but while nice, I believe it is over-rated and a bit out of the way for what it offers. Parking can be difficult. It feels like other Mediterrean cities.
Bled: The Beekeeping Museum is excellent. Also consider a side trip to Kropa which contains a very informative Blacksmithing Museum. The town and its houses have lots of examples of ironworks in the form of balconies, etc. A lovely, winding drive through the countryside. I preferred Bohinj over Bled. If you stay at one of the larger hotels in Bohinj, you can get a rate that includes dinner.
Aug 14th, 2006, 04:25 PM
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Your interest and length of stay are quite similar to mine. My case is that;
-I visit there next month.
-I'm coming in from Munich by train.
-I have 7-10 days.
-I have to depend solely on public transportation.
-With time and unflexibility (without a car) given, I'm thinking to give up visiting the eastern part.
My question is that;
-What's there in Kropa, Skofja Loka
Radovljica, Stanjel, Hrastovlje,and Lipica?
-Hiking by oneself is not dangerous?
-What is slovenian spa like? Which one do you recommend for women?
Many thanks,
wh
-I visit there next month.
-I'm coming in from Munich by train.
-I have 7-10 days.
-I have to depend solely on public transportation.
-With time and unflexibility (without a car) given, I'm thinking to give up visiting the eastern part.
My question is that;
-What's there in Kropa, Skofja Loka
Radovljica, Stanjel, Hrastovlje,and Lipica?
-Hiking by oneself is not dangerous?
-What is slovenian spa like? Which one do you recommend for women?
Many thanks,
wh
Aug 29th, 2006, 06:54 PM
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I definitely don't think you are cramming too much in. It's so easy to get around Slovenia that you can accomplish a lot with a rental car. You might have too much time in Ljubljana - honestly we were ready to go after a few hours. We also went to Piran and thought it was nice for a change, since it is so different from the rest of Slovenia.
We really enjoyed getting off the beaten path and driving through the towns. We're not huge hikers either, and we really enjoyed driving around and stopping in different places.
We really enjoyed getting off the beaten path and driving through the towns. We're not huge hikers either, and we really enjoyed driving around and stopping in different places.
Aug 29th, 2006, 07:00 PM
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Slovenia is small, you can accomplish a lot in a small amount of time. I wish so bad that I would have had more time for this relatively undescovered country.
Bled is amazing but probably doesn't require more than a day or two.
Slovenia has some amazing caves in the south-eastern (I think) parts of the country. One with a large rope bridge across a huge chasm I think? It's worth looking into anyway.
Bled is amazing but probably doesn't require more than a day or two.
Slovenia has some amazing caves in the south-eastern (I think) parts of the country. One with a large rope bridge across a huge chasm I think? It's worth looking into anyway.
